Visiting the Temple of Literature, Hanoi

Some places in Hanoi are best when crowded. The Temple of Literature is best when empty: early on a weekday, with light slanting through old trees, moss on the roof tiles and birdsong louder than the traffic on Ton Duc Thang Street.

The temple was founded in 1070 under Emperor Ly Thanh Tong to honour Confucius. Six years later the Imperial Academy opened beside it, often called Vietnam's first university. Nearly a thousand years on, it still keeps the slow rhythm of a place of study.

Five courtyards

• The Great Gate and Dai Trung Gate open onto quiet lawns with ponds on either side.
• Khue Van Cac, the Constellation of Literature Pavilion with its four round windows, built in 1805, is now a symbol of Hanoi.
• Around the Well of Heavenly Clarity stand 82 stone stelae on the backs of tortoises, recording the doctoral laureates of exams held from the 15th to the 18th century. UNESCO lists them in its Memory of the World register.
• The fourth courtyard holds the shrine to Confucius, with mossy tiles and dark red wooden columns.
• The last is Thai Hoc House, where the academy once stood.

Good to know

• Arrive before 9:00 AM on a weekday to beat the tour groups. In May and June, students crowd in to pray before exams.
• The stelae and tortoises are fenced off for protection. Please don't touch them, whatever you've heard about rubbing a tortoise's head for luck.
• Cover shoulders and knees; this is still a place of worship.
• Around Tet, calligraphers set up stalls by the temple and the lake opposite, a sea of red paper.
• Opening hours and ticket prices change from time to time, so check ahead or ask at reception.

Walking from Narcissus

Narcissus Le Duan is under 1 km from the temple, and Narcissus Tuc Mac is a short walk too. Afterwards, take a coffee up to the glass-roofed terrace at Tuc Mac and scroll through your photos while the street below gets busy.

Next stop: the Imperial Citadel, a few streets away.